Photograph
by cheesie
Summary: Sirius goes through some old pictures the day before he dies


Photograph

(One-Shot)

_Look at this photograph..._

A man in his late thirties (though he looks much older due to his sallow skin) sits in an old armchair surrounded by old boxes full of pictures. his eyes are sunken and dull but look as if they used to sparkle. His hair is matted, long, and black, and there is a half giant bird, half horse lying opposite him. There are boxes lying everywhere around the moth-eaten armchair in the dingy room he is in. He removes an old, faded picture in which the people moving from a box on the floor . In the picture, ther is a boy with messy black hair, glasses, and hazel eyes clad in scarlet and gold. He is holding a golden trophy in both hands high above his head and is screaming something that the picture couldn't capture. Next to him are two other boys, also wearing scarlet and gold robes: one with dirty-blonde (and premature grey) hair holding three broomsticks and the other with long, shiny black hair and a blase' look about him. Both were sharing the first boy's joy.

_Every time I do it makes me laugh..._

The middle-aged man sighs and picks up another picture (looking not much younger than the first) from a new box on the floor. In the picture, the same blase' boy from the first picture (looking older in this one) has his face covered in pie with a pie tin on the table in front of him. The same other two boys from the first picture are standing behind him laughing very hard. The boy with his face dripping with pie is trying not to laugh and pretending to be horrified (though not succeeding). The man chuckles softly, puts the picture and the first one into a small, empty box in his lap, and picks up the next picture.

_This is where I grew up..._

This picture contained a large, grim-looking house with all the windows closed. The day was sunny, but this house seemed to cast a shadow over the mailbox bearing large, rusty numbers, 12. A moment later, a large teardrop the picture, and the old man wipes it away. He also wipes the trail of the drop from his face. He silently places the picture back into the box it was taken from and shakily reaches for the next picture.

_This is where I went to school..._

In it is a huge castle with many towers surrounded by stone walls with a black lake encircling it. He goes to put the picture back into the box, but something catches his eye. The boy with messy black hair and a broomstick is zooming around the castle. The man is examining the boy on the broom when something else catches his eye. Two more figures on brooms come zooming out from behind a particularly large tower. The one in front is a redheaded girl with bright green eyes and a laughing expression. She is flying backwards and waving to the second flier who is the same dirty-blonde/grey boy from the first two pictures. The boy in last place motions to the redheaded girl, and she pulls back. The man frowns slightly but continues to watch closely. The two in the back pull out their wands, point them to the boy in first and yell something. The boy yelps and freezes in midair. The other two zoom past him, laughing. The man laughs quietly and places the picture into the small box with the first two.

_Most of the time, I'd better things to do._

The next picture contains the same black-haird, blase' boy from the first two pictures, though looks in his early teens now. The dirty-blonde is missing, but the messy-haired boy keeps popping his head around the side of the picture, obviously checking the camera. The boy that is actually in the picture has his wand out and is sniggering silently. The window outside the room he is in is dark, and there is a full moon shining brilliantly outside it. The camera zooms in on a young woman wiht high-heels on in an armchair. There is a large, bushy mustache on her face. The man laughs outright, causing the half horse, half bird to look around at him. He mutters something like "almost forgot" and slips the picture into the little box with the three others.

_We used to listen to the radio_

_And sing laong with every song we'd know..._

The man reaches into an even older box, and carefully pulls out a creased, weathered picture of the same three boys from the other pictures. The boys are about five and are crowded around an old 1950's radio. The hazel-eyed boy is rocking out on air guitar, and the others are laughing. The dirty-blonde boy looks rather sick, but is thoroughly enjoying himself as he pulls out his imaginary drumset. The two playing their invisible instruments look to the blase' boy who is smiling impishly. He calmly reaches behind him, pulls out the make-believe instrument, and mimes playing a flute. All three boys laugh. The man smiles and places the picture into the small box with the others.

_Kim's the first girl I kissed_

_I was so nervous that I nearly missed..._

He reaches into another box and picks out a much more new-looking picture. It contains a very pretty girl with curly brown hair and big brown eyes. She is wearing blue and grey and is smiling brightly. She waves energetically causing the man to smile. Suddenly, the smile vanishes. The sunken eyes overflow with tears.

_I miss that time..._

The man buries his face in his hands.

_I miss their faces..._

The tears flow freely now.

_You can't erase..._

He begins to moan.

_You can't replace it..._

The horse/bird comes over to comfort the man.

_I miss it now_

_I can't believe it_

_So hard to stay_

_Too hard to leave it..._

The man sniffles loudly, pats the horse/bird's beak, and wipes the tears from his eyes.

_If I could relive those days_

_I know the one thing that would never change_

_Every memory of looking out the back door_

_I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor_

_It's hard to say_

_It's time to say it_

_Goodbye, Goodbye_

_Every memory of walking out the front door_

_I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for_

_It's hard to say_

_It's time to say it_

_Goodbye, Goodbye..._

He dumps half of a box into the smaller one without even looking at the pictures. He closes the smaller box, wraps it in brown paper, and ties it to the leg of a large owl perched on a wardrobe across the room. The owl flies to the window, and as it flies off, the man reads the name on the box for the very last time: Harry Potter.

_Look at this photograph_

_Every time I do it makes me laugh_

_Every time I do it makes me..._

::AN:: Phew! That took me WAY too long to finish! I started it a year ago! Sigh Well, _You can't always get what you want... But if you try sometimes, you just might find... You get what you neee-eeed!!! _YAY!


End file.
